Submission (#1232) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 3
Act Type: Support
Word Count: 1082
Adult Elnin Present: Anko [ELN294]
Regional Affinity: Kyendi
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Hanami [ELN1185]

Hanami was pacing with the latest news from her father that he would be leaving on a trip and they would be left in Kyendi with their aunt for a while. He was out helping around the town with some tasks their neighbors were troubled with and before he left he asked if Anko could start packing his bag for him. Hanami, upon hearing the news, piped up in a small voice that she wanted to help and with a gentle pat on the head before he left Bazil said he would love it if she helped pack his bag. Hanami became so immersed in her thinking that she didn’t even notice her father's gesture to Anko to keep an eye on her. Most adults in the household knew Hanami was prone to her wild ideas and adventures but they weren’t always safe and the small kittom had a tendency to take things too far.

Anko watched her out of the corner of her eye as Hanami worked to pack items in the bag carefully. Most things were well worn belongings of her father’s, that had been worn and patched a few times like a mantle to keep the rain off. She scowled as she found a hole in it and pulled it out of the bag. Her dad had taught her how to inspect equipment at least because he felt like it was important she not run out of the house with rope or other tools that were in disrepair. The rope she packed in his bag was sturdy. Hanami blinked a bit as a jar was held over her shoulder by her aunt. “What’s this for?” She asked, shaking it a little as she looked at the contents. “It’s a good spice mixture that will help keep food better for longer.” Anko explained. Hanami’s eyes widened with curiosity, almost tempted to ask if they could try it for dinner but she simply nodded and tucked it padded between a few other supplies like smaller rags of cloth and inner pouches.

About mid day Hanami had finished packing the bulk of what she wanted to but there were still many necessities they were short on. She looked sadly over at the cloak and then outside at the kyendi mountain ranges. The mist and fog made them look scenic, with small islands floating scattered between them. The real problem was how inhospitable some areas could be. Elnin were not supposed to stray off the well charted paths but the worry loomed over Hanami. She cared quite a great deal about her family’s safety afterall. A heavy sigh escaped her as she looked from the window back down at the cloak in her hands.

“Aunt Anko? Will you teach me how to sew and cook something nice for dad to take on the road?” She asked and Anko paused to ponder the request a bit. Hanami was so small but she was sure she could teach her a thing or two. Hanami had seen others do those tasks but doing them herself always felt a bit more special. So with that in mind they set out to pick up some supplies. Anko carried the bag that they were packing for Hanami’s father so they could compare the cloth colors to the thread. Meanwhile Hanami tried to stay focused. The unusual building structures were a far cry from the rounded shapes of some architecture she had seen in Faerindell. Here the buildings had sliding doors and some geometric shapes and tiled roofs. Some called it oriental architecture but it seemed more like the word of an elseworlder than anything. Now and then she still heard it used in passing.

They stopped at a few vendor’s booths examining their goods and every so often they would find something useful to stick in her father’s bag like a new fastener to keep the flap on his bag shut a bit better. At the same place she was also able to find some sturdy thread and spare needles for if he had to patch something on the road. Hanamy felt a bit guilty but they had lost his sewing kit on the journey here. Anko pointed out a few ingredients for cooking that Hanami helped carry as well and after their short excursion they were homeward bound.

In Anko’s house they settled in on the couch and Anko procured some manaberry potions to help them change into forms better suited for detail work. Anko worked to patch up one part of the worn down cloak while Hanami watched and slowly but surely patched the hole she had spotted in another section of the cloth earlier. Anko even showed her how to embroider a little flower near her stitch work, her nose wrinkling slightly with a humored grin. The embroidery seemed out of place but she knew her brother would appreciate it. “He’ll think of you every time he sees this.” She said fondly and Hanami looked from her aunt to her hands that held the cloth.

Next they worked on making some smaller snacks of mixed nuts and dried fruit. Once mixed, Hanami filled a few more containers with the snacks to keep them safe and dry. These smaller snacks would not last as long but right now Anko had told her this was the best they could manage. Too much food and her father would have a hard time navigating the jungles in Kyendi as he left town. Hanami tried hard to focus on the tasks she wanted to accomplish before her father left town but she was still just a kitten and got distracted by passing questions and her own thoughts with a bit more frequency than most grown elnin.

By the day’s end she had finished the bulk of what she had to do to prepare for her father’s departure. The hardest part was the last, saying goodbye for a while as he left to work. Hanami had fallen asleep on the couch as she thought about her father leaving the next morning. Her father came home later that night to sit beside her and while she wasn’t fully awake she could feel him settle down beside her. It must have been a long day because he fell asleep there himself. The next morning with his bags packed Hanami showed her father off and wished him luck. It was a bittersweet feeling but like always she could trust he would be home soon enough.